The Chanel purse arrived today and it is in pristine condition exactly like it looked when I bought it two years ago. My grandaugher, five years old, slipped it out of my closet and managed to take a hair brush to that interior flap. Guess she was trying to "make Pretty" as she calls it. She wasn't punished but I did put that purse up for over a year before I discovered your site. It will be a delight to be able to use it again and it looks brand new. I have a Miu Miu in ostrich that needs to have handles cleaned. Will send it soon.

Again, thank you for your wonderful service. You made my day! Make that: You made my "month".

All the best, Elise

]]>Thank you Barbara!

The Chanel purse arrived today and it is in pristine condition exactly like it looked when I bought it two years ago. My grandaugher, five years old, slipped it out of my closet and managed to take a hair brush to that interior flap. Guess she was trying to "make Pretty" as she calls it. She wasn't punished but I did put that purse up for over a year before I discovered your site. It will be a delight to be able to use it again and it looks brand new. I have a Miu Miu in ostrich that needs to have handles cleaned. Will send it soon.

Again, thank you for your wonderful service. You made my day! Make that: You made my "month".

All the best, Elise

]]>http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/louis-vuitton-bags-warning-when-protecting-vachetta-leather/
Mon, 08 Sep 2014 15:12:12 +0000http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/louis-vuitton-bags-warning-when-protecting-vachetta-leather/Hi everyone! I just want to go over some important information about using protection on Louis Vuitton Vachetta or untreated cow hide -

Remember that this leather is made to patina - it is made to darken - it is highly stainable and not restorable. We are talking about a leather that is very high maintenance and there is no guarantee that in using any products you will not experience some darkening and/or some streaking, unfortunately this is the truth.

All you have to do to see what a Louis Vuitton looks like unprotected is take a cyber trip to Ebay ....LOOK AT THOSE STAINS...they are horrible....LV does not stand behind their leather goods in the sense that they will not refund you if it stains - or replace it for free if the leather stains from rain on the way out of the store...NO WAY - their answer to you is to buy a NEW one.

Now having said that ....here, at Lovin My Bags - and namely my husband Gary with his 40 years experience in restoring leather - we have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on R&D to find the best products that could protect Vachetta leather from staining and slow down the patina process, so that you can have your Louis Vuitton looking great for a long time. We have come up with an amazing product called Vachetta PRE-TREATMENT - it is to PRE- treat the leather so that it does not darken when cleaned - protects the leather from water and oils stains and is the fist step to protecting the handles from darkening.

Is this product perfect ? No - because leather is not perfect - there are too many variable to guarantee anything from happening when using a cosmetic product or any "chemical" on leather. Application is as much a factor as the chemistry - too much product can cause the patina to form - too much pressure on the leather can cause streaking - cleaning before protection can cause darkening ....and on and on...the variable are endless..

Used properly in the right amount, the right pressure with the right steps...you will have the best experience and see that the leather is protected from all kinds of horrible stains.

If you are nervous about using the products - then I recommend you trust the experts at Lovin My Bags to do the initial protection - once protected the maintenance products are safe to use - It is the initial protection that is CRITICAL.

Can Lovin My Bags be responsible for damage due to the product use - unfortunately we cannot for many reasons - but mainly because leather is not predictable and has no standards - each piece of leather acts differently to chemicals and processes after it is tanned - and we cannot control that.

All leather care products on the market have very clearly stated disclaimers that state that only the cost of the product is refundable - you are solely responsible for the outcome when you choose to use these products yourself ...

Could any other company selling leather care products help you? Not at all, because unlike Lovin My Bags they are not part of a restoration service staffed with leather obsessed owners. This is what make us and our products unique.

So if you want to use the products yourself - know that this leather is made to darken and to stain - If you are nervous about using the products for any reason, let us take care of the initial protection - because we will not be responsible for any damage due to the use of the products -

Patina is a normal process for this leather to undergo - so make sure you know what you are buying - this leather will in no way stay light and pink - but you can avoid the uneven darkening due to stains and the blackening of handles due to hand sweat and oil with Lovin My Bags Vachetta collection.

]]>Hi everyone! I just want to go over some important information about using protection on Louis Vuitton Vachetta or untreated cow hide -

Remember that this leather is made to patina - it is made to darken - it is highly stainable and not restorable. We are talking about a leather that is very high maintenance and there is no guarantee that in using any products you will not experience some darkening and/or some streaking, unfortunately this is the truth.

All you have to do to see what a Louis Vuitton looks like unprotected is take a cyber trip to Ebay ....LOOK AT THOSE STAINS...they are horrible....LV does not stand behind their leather goods in the sense that they will not refund you if it stains - or replace it for free if the leather stains from rain on the way out of the store...NO WAY - their answer to you is to buy a NEW one.

Now having said that ....here, at Lovin My Bags - and namely my husband Gary with his 40 years experience in restoring leather - we have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on R&D to find the best products that could protect Vachetta leather from staining and slow down the patina process, so that you can have your Louis Vuitton looking great for a long time. We have come up with an amazing product called Vachetta PRE-TREATMENT - it is to PRE- treat the leather so that it does not darken when cleaned - protects the leather from water and oils stains and is the fist step to protecting the handles from darkening.

Is this product perfect ? No - because leather is not perfect - there are too many variable to guarantee anything from happening when using a cosmetic product or any "chemical" on leather. Application is as much a factor as the chemistry - too much product can cause the patina to form - too much pressure on the leather can cause streaking - cleaning before protection can cause darkening ....and on and on...the variable are endless..

Used properly in the right amount, the right pressure with the right steps...you will have the best experience and see that the leather is protected from all kinds of horrible stains.

If you are nervous about using the products - then I recommend you trust the experts at Lovin My Bags to do the initial protection - once protected the maintenance products are safe to use - It is the initial protection that is CRITICAL.

Can Lovin My Bags be responsible for damage due to the product use - unfortunately we cannot for many reasons - but mainly because leather is not predictable and has no standards - each piece of leather acts differently to chemicals and processes after it is tanned - and we cannot control that.

All leather care products on the market have very clearly stated disclaimers that state that only the cost of the product is refundable - you are solely responsible for the outcome when you choose to use these products yourself ...

Could any other company selling leather care products help you? Not at all, because unlike Lovin My Bags they are not part of a restoration service staffed with leather obsessed owners. This is what make us and our products unique.

So if you want to use the products yourself - know that this leather is made to darken and to stain - If you are nervous about using the products for any reason, let us take care of the initial protection - because we will not be responsible for any damage due to the use of the products -

Patina is a normal process for this leather to undergo - so make sure you know what you are buying - this leather will in no way stay light and pink - but you can avoid the uneven darkening due to stains and the blackening of handles due to hand sweat and oil with Lovin My Bags Vachetta collection.

]]>http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/things-to-consider-in-a-handbag/
Sun, 07 Sep 2014 20:00:00 +0000http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/things-to-consider-in-a-handbag/At Lovin My Bags, we get hundreds of inquiries regarding handbag restoration services for people's designer handbags that have diminished in their beauty over time. Due to the number of years that we have been involved in the leather industry and the leather designer handbag industry, we have been able to come to some general conclusions regarding handbags and what we believe customers should consider prior to making their big, exciting purchase.

In future blogs, I will go into a little "history of leather" lesson, but for today, I will keep it simple. I believe that the most important consideration that should be made FIRST is to ask yourself the following question: How do I plan on using my handbag?

What you are looking to answer is whether or not you plan on using this handbag as an every day bag, occasional bag or as a one-time special occasion bag.

What may be counterintuitive is to consider that even though a bag may cost over $1000, it does not necessarily mean that it was made to withstand every day use! It seems absurd to think that a bag costing $2000 could be damaged within seconds of exiting a designer's boutique, but we have seen this exact scenario play out! It is terrible to hear of such stories, but they are more common than you could ever imagine!

The best way I can explain this to you, while being sensitive to the fact that we all have favourite designers and designers to whom we are loyal customers to, is like this: the handbag business is a BUSINESS. If handbags were all made by designers with the advanced leather technologies that are indeed available, handbags would last you well into the 10-year-range. Easily into 10 years. While that sounds amazing to us, the customer, you have to think about it from a business perspective. If designers are only selling you, their dedicated customers, bags every 10 years, that does not result in a profitable business! So, how does a business make money? It makes money by creating a brand, creating a loyal customer base, creating a need, and thus creating a profit (there is obviously a lot more that goes into a 'real' business model, but this is not a business blog!). Basically, they want you buying bags, and buying them often. Return customers are much better from a business perspective, than a customer who has a handbag that can withstand the elements for 10+ years and only returns after that time.

So, this is where your RESEARCH comes into play! If you are loving the newest Celine line or Louis Vuitton handbag, we recommend researching the exact bag that you are considering. Do the reviewers complain about staining, fading, cracking, corner issues, and etcetera? Do the reviews tell a dramatic tale of a woman going out for lunch on a patio, only to come home with almost a completely different coloured bag? These are things to consider! "But, my favourite celebrity (insert name here) has this exact bag and gets photographed with it all the time!". Ok, but you do realize that often (MOST OFTEN) designers are giving their bags to celebrities as a means of creating a following and branding? You do realize that a celebrity can afford a $5000 semi-disposable designer bag weekly, right?

After your research is complete, and you have established your budget, you are a little bit closer to choosing a bag that will best suit your lifestyle and needs. If your handbag income is unlimited, you have many more options available to you. If your budget is conservative, we suggest that you do some reading of handbag reviews that reflect experiences that are more similar to your lifestyle and projected handbag usage.

I hope I didn't crush your designer handbag dreams, but I am trying to help you avoid what so many of our customers have gone through with their beloved handbags.

More to come on this topic! In the meantime, Happy Review Reviewing!

]]>At Lovin My Bags, we get hundreds of inquiries regarding handbag restoration services for people's designer handbags that have diminished in their beauty over time. Due to the number of years that we have been involved in the leather industry and the leather designer handbag industry, we have been able to come to some general conclusions regarding handbags and what we believe customers should consider prior to making their big, exciting purchase.

In future blogs, I will go into a little "history of leather" lesson, but for today, I will keep it simple. I believe that the most important consideration that should be made FIRST is to ask yourself the following question: How do I plan on using my handbag?

What you are looking to answer is whether or not you plan on using this handbag as an every day bag, occasional bag or as a one-time special occasion bag.

What may be counterintuitive is to consider that even though a bag may cost over $1000, it does not necessarily mean that it was made to withstand every day use! It seems absurd to think that a bag costing $2000 could be damaged within seconds of exiting a designer's boutique, but we have seen this exact scenario play out! It is terrible to hear of such stories, but they are more common than you could ever imagine!

The best way I can explain this to you, while being sensitive to the fact that we all have favourite designers and designers to whom we are loyal customers to, is like this: the handbag business is a BUSINESS. If handbags were all made by designers with the advanced leather technologies that are indeed available, handbags would last you well into the 10-year-range. Easily into 10 years. While that sounds amazing to us, the customer, you have to think about it from a business perspective. If designers are only selling you, their dedicated customers, bags every 10 years, that does not result in a profitable business! So, how does a business make money? It makes money by creating a brand, creating a loyal customer base, creating a need, and thus creating a profit (there is obviously a lot more that goes into a 'real' business model, but this is not a business blog!). Basically, they want you buying bags, and buying them often. Return customers are much better from a business perspective, than a customer who has a handbag that can withstand the elements for 10+ years and only returns after that time.

So, this is where your RESEARCH comes into play! If you are loving the newest Celine line or Louis Vuitton handbag, we recommend researching the exact bag that you are considering. Do the reviewers complain about staining, fading, cracking, corner issues, and etcetera? Do the reviews tell a dramatic tale of a woman going out for lunch on a patio, only to come home with almost a completely different coloured bag? These are things to consider! "But, my favourite celebrity (insert name here) has this exact bag and gets photographed with it all the time!". Ok, but you do realize that often (MOST OFTEN) designers are giving their bags to celebrities as a means of creating a following and branding? You do realize that a celebrity can afford a $5000 semi-disposable designer bag weekly, right?

After your research is complete, and you have established your budget, you are a little bit closer to choosing a bag that will best suit your lifestyle and needs. If your handbag income is unlimited, you have many more options available to you. If your budget is conservative, we suggest that you do some reading of handbag reviews that reflect experiences that are more similar to your lifestyle and projected handbag usage.

I hope I didn't crush your designer handbag dreams, but I am trying to help you avoid what so many of our customers have gone through with their beloved handbags.

More to come on this topic! In the meantime, Happy Review Reviewing!

]]>http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/be-proactive/
Tue, 12 Aug 2014 20:00:00 +0000http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/be-proactive/I see hundreds of emails a month with varying stories about how one's beloved handbag got damaged. The stories range in drama, but one thing that is common among all of them: the bag owner failed to protect their new handbag upon purchase.

Now, I understand that you are extremely excited about your new fashion investment and cannot wait to go out and show it off. You rush home, unpack your newest addition, transfer essentials from your 'old' bag to the new bag and run out the door (with a matching pair of shoes or a belt, of course!). Unfortunately, this is when your bag is most at risk for acquiring damage! Time and time again, I hear about bags being damaged within the first 30 DAYS of purchase! When you are spending hundreds (thousands!) of dollars, may I suggest it would be wise to protect your bag BEFORE you eagerly skip out the door!

Being proactive, instead of reactive, is the best advice I can give you. I understand that at the sales counter, the last thing you want is to be sold yet another product or accessory. You're already dropping a paycheque (or more!) on a bag, so adding another $25+ to the bill is not of interest. In any event, that leather must be protected. Wouldn't you agree ? Cheaper than sending her in for a Spa treatment after all!

While Lovin My Bags' team provides a fabulous restoration service for handbags, I stress that nothing compares to protecting your bag upon purchase.

Lovin My Bags takes great pride in their restoration services, but at the end of the day, they are not miracle workers (well, this is debatable ;) ). In all honesty though, they really aren't. They do their best and we all appreciate that!!!

]]>I see hundreds of emails a month with varying stories about how one's beloved handbag got damaged. The stories range in drama, but one thing that is common among all of them: the bag owner failed to protect their new handbag upon purchase.

Now, I understand that you are extremely excited about your new fashion investment and cannot wait to go out and show it off. You rush home, unpack your newest addition, transfer essentials from your 'old' bag to the new bag and run out the door (with a matching pair of shoes or a belt, of course!). Unfortunately, this is when your bag is most at risk for acquiring damage! Time and time again, I hear about bags being damaged within the first 30 DAYS of purchase! When you are spending hundreds (thousands!) of dollars, may I suggest it would be wise to protect your bag BEFORE you eagerly skip out the door!

Being proactive, instead of reactive, is the best advice I can give you. I understand that at the sales counter, the last thing you want is to be sold yet another product or accessory. You're already dropping a paycheque (or more!) on a bag, so adding another $25+ to the bill is not of interest. In any event, that leather must be protected. Wouldn't you agree ? Cheaper than sending her in for a Spa treatment after all!

While Lovin My Bags' team provides a fabulous restoration service for handbags, I stress that nothing compares to protecting your bag upon purchase.

Lovin My Bags takes great pride in their restoration services, but at the end of the day, they are not miracle workers (well, this is debatable ;) ). In all honesty though, they really aren't. They do their best and we all appreciate that!!!

]]>http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/product-overview-with-barbara/
Sat, 12 Jul 2014 20:00:00 +0000http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/product-overview-with-barbara/Find our which products are best suited for your handbags]]>Find our which products are best suited for your handbags]]>http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/white-chanel-with-black-dye-transfer-from-handles/
Sun, 29 Jun 2014 20:00:00 +0000http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/white-chanel-with-black-dye-transfer-from-handles/This Chanel bag was cleaned - the white areas redyed and the black leather parts sealed. Important to keep the 2 colors separated - use tissue paper to wrap the handles so they do no lean on the white leather.

I just wanted to Thank you for a job exceedingly well done!! My bag looks amazing!! Thank you! You do fabulous work there.

Best, Andrea

]]>This Chanel bag was cleaned - the white areas redyed and the black leather parts sealed. Important to keep the 2 colors separated - use tissue paper to wrap the handles so they do no lean on the white leather.

I need some advice from you. About 1.5 months ago I got some blue dye transfer on my bag from wearing a blazer. I bought your bye bye dye (I haven't tried it), but decided first to send it to Chanel to get it cleaned by them first since I didn't trust myself to not cause further harm to the bag. Well, they did a bad job. They re-dyed parts of the purse that had blue color transfer and they didn't fully mask the stains. Also, the dying they did made the bag feel like a different texture and colored some of the threads and not others. They scuffed the hardware. They didn't rub the dye in enough and there a couple faint brown marks on the bag.

My question is: has Lovin My Bags ever "fixed" a bad repair job done by Chanel? Are there any options I have for reversing some of this. My bag still has blue stains and now parts of it are like new and other parts are re-dyed by Chanel and don't match the original texture.

I'll provide pictures of the purse later. These issues are really, really not noticeable by majority of people but since I baby my bags and collect these, I know they are there and I'm sure you would be able to see them.

Answer:

It is unfortunate that the byebyedye was not tried first - in many cases it can remove the dye leaving the leather looking great - but there is of course some lamb skin exceptions ( just so that no one emails me that it did not work! lol)

We will have to see what was done and see if we can reverse it and then restore her to as close to her original self as we can. We have done some of these before successfully ...but I am waiting to see the type of leather and the extend of the restoration that was done to her.

It is always easier for us to restore a bag that has not been touched by another restoration system - since the undoing can be as complex as the actual restoration ...making it a costly venture.

I will update the post with the before and after photos...stay tuned...

]]>Question:

Barbara,

I need some advice from you. About 1.5 months ago I got some blue dye transfer on my bag from wearing a blazer. I bought your bye bye dye (I haven't tried it), but decided first to send it to Chanel to get it cleaned by them first since I didn't trust myself to not cause further harm to the bag. Well, they did a bad job. They re-dyed parts of the purse that had blue color transfer and they didn't fully mask the stains. Also, the dying they did made the bag feel like a different texture and colored some of the threads and not others. They scuffed the hardware. They didn't rub the dye in enough and there a couple faint brown marks on the bag.

My question is: has Lovin My Bags ever "fixed" a bad repair job done by Chanel? Are there any options I have for reversing some of this. My bag still has blue stains and now parts of it are like new and other parts are re-dyed by Chanel and don't match the original texture.

I'll provide pictures of the purse later. These issues are really, really not noticeable by majority of people but since I baby my bags and collect these, I know they are there and I'm sure you would be able to see them.

Answer:

It is unfortunate that the byebyedye was not tried first - in many cases it can remove the dye leaving the leather looking great - but there is of course some lamb skin exceptions ( just so that no one emails me that it did not work! lol)

We will have to see what was done and see if we can reverse it and then restore her to as close to her original self as we can. We have done some of these before successfully ...but I am waiting to see the type of leather and the extend of the restoration that was done to her.

It is always easier for us to restore a bag that has not been touched by another restoration system - since the undoing can be as complex as the actual restoration ...making it a costly venture.

I will update the post with the before and after photos...stay tuned...

]]>http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/best-thing-i-could-do-to-protect-my-new-tivoli-gm/
Mon, 21 Apr 2014 20:00:00 +0000http://www.lovinmybags.co/blogging/best-thing-i-could-do-to-protect-my-new-tivoli-gm/Bought my new Tivoli GM took it out and all the time was thinking how do I hold the handles, where to lend my bag and God forbid if anything including my skin will get in contact with the new exposed and unprotected vachetta. My husband couldn't understand why so much fuss about it but I knew once drop of rain or skin's natural oil or anything else touches it will be a spot that I might not able to clean.

So I came home and jumped on Google to find what others do about protecting their new vachetta. I found couple of forums where people using different ways to clean LV handbags but everyone seem had the same problems with spots.

Than finally I found the site Lovin My Bags's and bought the Vachetta Collection with Pre-Treatment kit- very simple instructions to follow, one thing is you must wash your hands prior treatment and be very patient. It took me couple of days to finish the job. After the pre-treatment and conditioning the vachetta did not change the colour!

I am very happy with the kit I bought, I also used it on my other designer handbags and shoes. My Tivoli vachetta now feels smooth and polished even colour all around. For me it was worth money spent and I can recommend anyone who respect their new designer handbags or designer leather shoes MUST use Lovin My Bags's products!

]]>Bought my new Tivoli GM took it out and all the time was thinking how do I hold the handles, where to lend my bag and God forbid if anything including my skin will get in contact with the new exposed and unprotected vachetta. My husband couldn't understand why so much fuss about it but I knew once drop of rain or skin's natural oil or anything else touches it will be a spot that I might not able to clean.

So I came home and jumped on Google to find what others do about protecting their new vachetta. I found couple of forums where people using different ways to clean LV handbags but everyone seem had the same problems with spots.

Than finally I found the site Lovin My Bags's and bought the Vachetta Collection with Pre-Treatment kit- very simple instructions to follow, one thing is you must wash your hands prior treatment and be very patient. It took me couple of days to finish the job. After the pre-treatment and conditioning the vachetta did not change the colour!

I am very happy with the kit I bought, I also used it on my other designer handbags and shoes. My Tivoli vachetta now feels smooth and polished even colour all around. For me it was worth money spent and I can recommend anyone who respect their new designer handbags or designer leather shoes MUST use Lovin My Bags's products!